Fuel-economizer for explosive-engines.



i 1. Goonwm. FUEL ECONOMIZER FOR EXPLOSVE ENGINES'. APPLlcMloM min nov. 4. :91s.

15,244,321@ l Patented @en 23,1917.

,fq Y" s u b 'Jn I A' u y w w N Q M *j DJV JAMES GOODWI`N, OF VCAMDEN, DELAWARE.

FUEL-ECONOMIZER FOB, EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

Application led November 4, 1916. Serial No. 129,568.

To all whom t may concer/n.'

Beit known that I, JAMES GOODWIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of'Kent and State of Delaware, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Economizers for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a speciclation.

This invention relates to internal 'combustion engines, and has for its primary object to provide an attachment for engines of this character through the use of which economy may be obtained from a standpoint of fuel consumption, in operating the en- Another object is to provide an vengine attachment wherein is embodied means for utilizing waste explosive gases, which accumulate in the crank case of a motor, by providing a valve conduit leading .from the crank case to the intake manifold of the motor, so that the waste gases will be commingled with the carbureter mixture and employed -to furnish the cylinders of the engine with a highly combustible gas.

A further object thereof resides in a device of they above character vhaving automatically operating mechanism to relieve the gases of the crank case of superfluous lubricating oil, generally found in an engine crank case, thus insuring a flow of pure gas to the intake manifold without being. deteriorated in quality by oil.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction herein described, and a scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention, i

Figure 1 isa side elevation of an internal combustion engine, illustrating the application of the present invention thereto.

' Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, parts being shown in sections.

, Fig. 3 is au enlarged vertical sectional view of the oil trap mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of one of the agitators.

Similarl characters of reference denote similar parts .throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the invention is used in conjunction wit-h an internal combustion engine 1, wherein is provided the usual crank case 2, a gas intake manifold 3. It is well known that when anl explosive engine of this type is i-n operation, a considerablequantity of unexploded gas will leakaround the pistons of the engine, while the gases arev being compressed by the up-strokes of the pistons. These gases collect within the crank case of the motor, and subsequently escape into the atmospherev without being put to their de-v signed use. Realizing this undue waste of fuel, the present invention provides an attachment B to the engine, which will collect these waste crank case gases,l and conduct the same to the intake manifold 3, or to its equivalent, so that they may be again drawn into the cylinders 4 and utilized for their intended purpose. It will be apparent by thus avoiding waste of the combustible fuel, the attachment B will minimize the quantity of fuel needed. to successfully operate the enginel, by preventing its waste.

To this end the attachment B preferably consists of a pipe section 5 having communication with the interior of the crank case 2, said pipe leading to an oil trap 6, positioned externally of the engine. y The functions of the oil trap will be hereinafter set forth. Threaded into the top of the oil trap, as at 7, is a vertically extending pipe 8 of considerable length, said pipe terminating in a horizontally extending, communicating pipe 9. The pipe 9 ends in -a downwardly protruding valve section 10, in which is provided a manually controlled valve 11. Leading from the lower end of the valve l1 is a short pipe section l2, which has its opposite end threaded into the manifold 3, as at 13. It will be obvious that by the suction created within the. engine 1 the gases which accumulate in the crank case 2 will be drawn into the attachment B, whence they will be transmitted to the manifold 3, where they will be commingled with the relatively fresh gases emitted by the carbureter 14. The means for drawing the .gases from the manifold 3 to the cylinders of an engine will be clearly understood; therefore, the detailed explanation will not be necessary as 'to' this operation. The valve 11 may be operated to control the How ofthe gases through the attachment B,

f for if desired said attachment may be readily thrown out of service on manipulation of valve 11. By reason of the fact that the gases of the crank case are in a relatively heated condition during the normal operation of the engine, the same will readily Vconnningle with the' carbureter gases so as to promote the combustible qualities of the gases delivered to the cylinders of the engine.

In order to prevent the oils generally found in a crank case from entering the attachment B, the present invention'provides the oil trap 6, which is located ybeneath the pipe 5. return pipe 16 is connected with the outlet extremity of the oil trap, and is in communication with the crank case 2, and a check valve. 17 is employed to normally cover the pipe 16 so as to regulate the return dow of the lubricating oils into the crank case. It will be manifest that due to the inherent weight of the oils the same will be obliged to ow toward the pipe 16, and will not be permitted for this reason to enter pipe 8, and a line Wire mesh screen 18 covers the lower extremity of pipe 8 to insure this feature. The check valve 17 will remain open, to permit oil contained in the oil trap 6 to flow back into the crank case Q, when the pistons of the engine 1 cease to operate,

and vice Versa, thus rendering the operation of the check valve practically automatic. Rotary bladed agitators 20 are arranged in the intake pipe 21 between`the carbureter and the manifold 3. The pipe l2 communicates with the intake pipe 21 at a pointvbetween the top and bottom agitators 20 so that any oil vapor entering the intake pipe 21 through the pipe 12 will be eiectively scattered or diffused and diluted by the freshA mixture passing from the carburetor to the intake manifold 3. i Y It will thus be seen that there is provided mechanism in which the objects of this invention are achieved, and all the advantageous features above mentioned, among others, present. The attachment is positive in action, of but few parts, and simple construction, said parts being so disposed as to not interfere with the construction of the present forms of internal combustion engines.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently vwidely different embodimentsof this inven- *tion` could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limitingsense.

While the attachment B has been shown as an accessory to an engine, it will. be readily understood that the same -:may be formed an integral part of said engine,with

Laar-ear out deviating from the principles of the invention. lt has'been found, through practice, that when gas, comrningling disks 20 are used in connection with the manifold 3, that the successful operation of the attachment B will be considerably enhanced, inasmuch as when air is drawn into the manifold from the crank case, the same will be thoroughly saturated with the gases of combustion before being permitted to enter the cylinders of the engine.

Having described the invention, l claim 1. The combination with the carbureter intake manifold and intake pipe of an internal combustion engine, of an oil trap arranged adjacent to but eXteriorly of the engine crank case, a valve controlled conduit leading from the top of said oil trap to the intake pipe at a point between the carbureter and the intake manifold, a gas pipe leading from the upper part of the crank case to the upper part of said oil trap, an oil drain pipe leading from the bottom of said oil trap to the crank case, and a suction operated check valve in said oil trap between said gas pipe and oil drain pipe.

2. The combination with the carbureter, intake manifold and intake pipe of an internal combustion engine, of an oil trap arranged adjacent to but eXteriorly of the engine crank case, a valve controlled conduit leading from the top of said oil tra-p to the intake pipe at a point between the carburetor and the intake manifold, a gas pipe leading from the upper part of the crank case to the upper part of said oil trap, an oil drain pipe leading from the bottom of said oil trap to the crank case, a suction operated check valve in said oil trap between said gas pipe and oil drain pipe, and an oil vapor strainer located in the upper part of said oil trap between said gas pipe and the conduit leading therefrom to the intake pipe.

3. The combination with the carburetor,

intake manifold and intake pipe of an internal combustiomengine, of an oil trap arranged adjacent to but exteriorly of the engine crank case, a. valve controlled conduit leading fromthe top of said oil trap to the intake pipe at a point between the carbureter and the intake manifold, a gas pipe leading from the upper part of the crank case to the upper part of said oil trap, an oil-drain pipe leading from the bottom of said oil trap to the crank case, a suction operated check valve in said oil trap between said ygas pipe and oil drain pipe, and rotary bladed agitators positioned in said intake pipe above and below the point of com-- munication between said conduit and intake i e. p gn testimony whereof ll ama my signature.

JAMES GDWIN. 

